Are you okay?
by Forever Me
Summary: It only took a simple question for Astrid to realize something important. Set after How to Train your Dragon 2.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Yes, I'm still alive, for those who wondered. And no, this is not the sequel to Quiet After the Storm, but rather a distraction for my exams. Luckily I only have history and economics left, but those are subjects I find very hard. Well, history not so much, but this time I have an oral exam, and it kinda freaks me out... :P**

**This will probably be a two-shot, so expect another chapter. I don't know when though, maybe this weekend, maybe not. I'm not sure.**

**I hope you'll like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD**

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><p>As fast as she could, Astrid climbed the structure of the new house until she was on the rafters, which would soon be covered by the roof. She put down her hammer and nails where they wouldn't fall down, and turned her head towards the sky, eyes closed. The sun shone warmly in her face, and a gentle breeze made her bangs sway softly back and forth. It was truly a beautiful day, and Astrid was sure that there would be a dragon race later that day.<p>

She looked down on the village, and saw Vikings and dragons alike rebuilding houses and taking care of the stock. Only a few dozen feet away, a giant spike of ice glittered in the sun, giving it's surroundings a blueish glow.

Rebuilding the village after the attack of Drago and the Bewilderbeast was expected to take many months. Years maybe, if the ice didn't melt fast. Villagers lost their houses to the ice, or to the attacks from the many dragons that were under the Bewilderbeast's command, before Hiccup and Toothless managed to defeat it. Luckily for them, after three hundred years of fighting against the dragons, the Vikings knew how to build new houses fast and efficiently. In the beginning, they were a little bit rusty. It had been five years since the war had ended, after all. And the fight against Drago wasn't really a war, according to the Vikings. Wars took years to be won, they said.

But Astrid didn't think that. If it hadn't been a war, then there shouldn't have been so many casualties. More Vikings were lost than during a dragon raid, but less than the whole war against dragons.

And the most important thing: a chief rarely died if it's not a war.

Astrid felt a pang of guilt when she thought about Stoick the Vast. In a way, it had been her fault, hadn't it? She was the one who riled Drago up, when they were captured by him and his followers. She was the one who told Drago that Hiccup was the true dragon master, and she was the one who told Drago that Hiccup would defeat him. And look where it all led to. If she hadn't said those things, Drago wouldn't have set his Bewilderbeast on Toothless, forcing the Night Fury to obey him. If she hadn't said those things, Toothless wouldn't have shot that plasma blast, killing Stoick in the blow. Stoick, who was trying to save Hiccup.

She had gone to Valka one time, even though Astrid had only known her for a few days that time. It was her who told Astrid that she wasn't to blame, because these things just happened, how awful they may be.

"It is a bit cruel for me to say, but I'd already come to terms with losing Stoick twenty years ago," Valka had said. "I think that's why I'm not as sad as people expect me to be." Valka had been cooking that time, and while she had her attention focused on Astrid, she didn't see the black cloud of smoke slowly starting to rise, until the smell reached her nose.

"Oh, dear, I don't think cooking will every be something I learn to do." Astrid had watched as Valka tried to save what was worth saving, while thinking of what the dragon vigilante had said. It was understandable for Valka that she wasn't mourning as much as the rest of the village, and somehow her words lessened the weight on Astrid's shoulders, as if it had blown the guilt away as if it was a small feather.

Astrid smiled as she saw a small girl trying to push a small wheelbarrow - probably made for her size - towards a Viking who, Astrid presumed, was her father. Said Viking was working on another house, along with a few other Villagers. Hiccup was there as well, coördinating everyone and everything, while also giving others the chance to come up with their own ideas.

Sighing, Astrid went back to work. Truthfully, Hiccup did very well in his role as Chief. No, he was not Stoick and he handled things different, but the Vikings of Berk followed him - well, maybe not Mildew, but he was about to die of old age anyway (thank Odin).

Just as Astrid was about the slam the hammer on a nail she had held in the right place, she heard a commotion on the ground. She looked down again, and saw that the girl who was pushing the wheelbarrow lost control of it, causing it to topple over and lose almost all of it's contents. The girl, who was around seven years old, looked wide-eyed, probably startled senseless, while the other villagers also came to look what the ruckus was about.

Some of them, including the father, quickly went to put the wheelbarrow back up, and to put its contents back where they belonged. Hiccup had already went to the little girl, who looked as if she was about to burst in tears.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, thinking that maybe she had been hurt.

Astrid promptly let the hammer fall on her thumb, hard, but she ignored the pain. How could she not have noticed before? How could she be that stupid to not realize it sooner?

Looking down again, Astrid concentrated on the form of her boyfriend, more specifically, his face.

Hiccup looked really tired, if the black circles were anything to go by. His face was also a bit sunken in, and he definitely needed to shave, even though it was very un-Vikingesque. He walked a bit hunched, as if he had the weight of the world to carry on his shoulders, which was actually a bit true. When had Astrid not seen Hiccup either helping rebuild the village or helping the villagers with their troubles the last few weeks? When had Hiccup last flown just for the fun of it, and not just to move large things from one place to another, which were too heavy for himself or other villagers to lift over a large distance? When had Astrid last seen Hiccup eating dinner in the Great Hall with the other Vikings, instead of doing his chiefing duties? When had Astrid last seen Hiccup doing something for himself at all?

Not one time.

Astrid felt immensely guilty. Why had she not noticed it? She could have done something, instead of being one of many people who needed Hiccup's attention on their work. Almost everyone had partaken in it, but Astrid doubted that anyone else noticed what they were doing. What they had done the last few weeks.

A shout from below managed to pull Astrid out of her thoughts, and knowing that she couldn't do something about it right now, she continued to slam the nails in the right places. _But I will help you Hiccup,_ Astrid thought. _I promise_.

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><p>"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Valka asked her son, but Hiccup only shook his head. He knew she was worried about him, but what could he do? He just wasn't hungry, plus he didn't even have much time to eat at all. And his mother's food wasn't exactly tasty, but he didn't want to tell her that.<p>

"Maybe you should go to bed early tonight," his mother suggested, but Hiccup already knew that wouldn't happen. There was always some last-minute problem what needed his attention, and he couldn't leave the villagers to handle things on their own. He was the Chief, after all. And Chiefs always have to be able to help their people when they needed it.

Hiccup could feel his mother's eyes on him, and he sighed. "I'll be okay mom. I mean, if dad could do it, then I can as well, can't I?" he asked, not waiting for an answer, for a Terrible Terror had flown in through a window, carrying a message that his help was needed at the docks.

"Ah, got to go," Hiccup said as he stood up, ignoring the pain in his back. "Bye mom, love you," he said and he gave his mother a slight peck on the cheek.

On his way out, he gave Toothless, who was dozing by the fire-pit a pat on the head. "See ya later, bud."

The Night Fury warbled softly, hoping that his best friend would take it a bit easier, but knowing that Hiccup could be as stubborn as hell when he wanted. And Toothless was afraid that this was one of those times.

It turned out that some fishermen needed their ship repaired, otherwise they couldn't sail out early the next morning. Since these ships were of Hiccup's newer designs, he still needed to help the men in maintaining them. But it was all worth it, Hiccup thought, for the hauls had increased a third.

Now, four and a half hours later and past midnight, he was walking back towards his house, letting his joints pop and crack so that he felt less stiff, and ignored the pleas of his body for immediate rest. It would get that soon, even if it wasn't very much.

When he was finally in his room at home, he immediately sat down on the bed and detached his prosthetic. It had been hurting him all afternoon, but since he needed to help with the rebuilding of the village, he didn't have time to take proper care of his leg.

One look at his leg told Hiccup that he would be lucky if it was better the next day. His over-exercised stump was quite red, and seemed to have swollen a bit as well.

Hiccup looked around, and found a stray cloth on his nightstand. He quickly put it in the water-bowl he always had near his bed, and as soon as the cloth was soaked in the cold water, he put it on his stump, sighing in relief when it didn't feel as inflamed as before.

Noticing that Toothless was already asleep on his stone slab, Hiccup laid down as well and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take over.

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><p>It wasn't much later that Hiccup startled awake, still seeing the images of the Bewilderbeast, Drago, and Toothless's plasma blast. But those weren't the worst. The worst was the image of his father, laying on the ground with pieces of ice everywhere on him. Hiccup had pushed and tried to move the ice, and when he finally managed to get the one that was hiding his father's head away, he had stared right into those still, glassy eyes. Eyes that, even then, managed to look at him, accusation clearly evident in them.<p>

It was always the same dream, every night, and he always managed to get just a few hours of sleep. Two or three at the most. Four if he was lucky.

Fortunately, he had been able to stifle his screams as a little boy, when he used to have nightmares of dragons coming to get him, eating him alive, so now no-one awoke because of him. Good, he wouldn't want to disturb anyone. They needed their sleep.

_But don't you as well?_ A little voice nagged him in the back of his mind. Hiccup shook his head. A Chief protects his people. If they didn't have their sleep, they wouldn't be able to concentrate on their tasks, thus they would fail. And if everyone failed to do their tasks, then the village would break down. And Hiccup wouldn't allow that to happen. Even if it meant he had to sacrifice his rest as a result.

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><p><strong>AN:**

**So, this is part one of the two shot.**

**For those who are wondering, I do have some chapters written for the sequel of Quiet After the Storm (which is called Afterstorms) and I have this awesome plot (at least, I think it is pretty cool...) I only don't know yet what to write around it :P**

**Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you soon!**

**Forever Me**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Here is the other half of this two-shot! It turned out to be very different (and shorter) than what I expected it to be, but I hope you'll like it! This chapter is all from Astrid's POV.**

**Also, all the stuff I write is un-betaed, and since English isn't my mother tongue, I'm sure it won't be flawless... :)**

**I would like to thank**

**- Phoenixofmyth**

**- Lily-D13**

**- mycove**

**- One Bright Light**

**- TiniTinuviel**

**- Jesusfreak**

**for reviewing, and everyone else for favoring/following/reading this two-shot!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD**

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><p>The next morning, Astrid was woken up by Stormfly opening her window and cawing excitedly. The shield maiden chuckled at her dragon's antics, which mirrored Toothless' very much when it came to morning flights. It was almost a tradition for Astrid and Stormfly to take to the skies, fly a lap or two around the island before catching up with Hiccup and Toothless at the cove, where they would relax for an hour before going to the Great Hall for breakfast. But for the last few weeks, the cove was empty when they arrived, no sign of the new Chief and his Night Fury.<p>

Trying to suppress her worries for Hiccup for the time being, Astrid stood up and went to retrieve Stormfly's saddle. She still hadn't thought of a plan to relieve Hiccup of his burdens, and things wouldn't get better if she had a cranky Deadly Nadder constantly nagging her.

Before she took off, she glanced once more at the village, seeing the early risers starting their day.

Just like yesterday, the weather conditions were great, and Astrid hoped there would be another Dragon Race today. Maybe she could use it to get Hiccup to relax. The sport became a bit boring if there was no competition for her at all. The twins would start fighting one moment and their concentration on the game would be lost, Fishlegs - although he tried really hard - was hopeless at it, and Astrid didn't even want to think about Snotlout. No, Hiccup had to compete again. It would be the best for everyone.

Astrid had been so lost in her thoughts, that she only noticed they had started their fourth lap around the island when a stray Terrible Terror almost flew into her face. She recognized it to be one of Mira's dragons, who was hoping to create an army of Terrible Terrors. The girl was only thirteen, but Astrid had to admit, Mira had her way with those small dragons.

"Let's go, girl," Astrid said softly, and she gently steered Stormfly towards the cove. She knew it would be hopeless, she knew Hiccup wouldn't be there, but she stayed faithful to her tradition.

So to say that Astrid was surprised when she saw the auburn-haired boy standing at the bank of the lake was an extreme understatement.

Excitement flowed through her. This was her chance!

She quickly guided Stormfly to land in the cove, and before the dragon had even landed, Astrid had jumped off her back and made her way to Hiccup. She didn't even see Stormfly make her way towards Toothless, who was sitting near the wall of the cove, looking worriedly at his rider.

It seemed that Hiccup hadn't noticed her arrival, and Astrid quickly came up with the plan to surprise him.

That plan, however, vanished from her mind when she saw Hiccup falling to his knees, his body shaking, and Astrid was almost sure she heard soft sobs emanating from him.

She hadn't even realized she had stopped walking and had been holding her breath. Should she go? Leave him alone for a moment?

No, she couldn't leave him to his own misery. Her instinct told her he needed her.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked softly as she took a step towards him. He stiffened visibly, probably startled by her voice.

He didn't turn around, and Astrid started to get even more worried about him. She was about to go towards him to comfort him, when she heard him softly speak. "Go away," he said.

"Hiccup…" Astrid tentatively took another step closer to Hiccup, feeling as if she was walking on eggshells.

"I said go away!" he said with a slightly raised voice. "Leave me alone!" He put his arms around torso, as if he was hugging himself, making himself look vulnerable.

"Please Hiccup, just listen to me, okay? I can help." She tried to push back the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes, while she took one last step so she was standing next to him. She knelt down and put her arm around his shoulders, pulling him towards her.

"No, Astrid. Go away," he yelled, while trying to push her away. "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help!" He finally managed to create some distance between them, but not in the way Hiccup had hoped, Astrid was sure.

Because when Astrid was surprised by Hiccup's outburst, she loosened her grip a little, giving Hiccup the chance to get out from her grip. But Astrid's balance was better than his, it seemed, because while Astrid remained seated where she was, Hiccup toppled over, right into the lake.

It took a moment for Astrid to realize what had happened, but then she jumped to her feet and pulled Hiccup out of the water.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, repeating Hiccup's question to the girl from the day before.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Hiccup asked rhetorically, but still with a raised voice.

No, he didn't. He looked even more miserable now that he was soaking wet, and Astrid felt her heart go out to him. The way he was standing, his gaze cast downwards, his shoulders slumped, just screamed for someone to help him, but at the same time he was pushing everyone away.

"Hiccup, look at me," Astrid said softly while she went to stand in front of him. The young Chief shook his head, not even bothering to lift his head for one moment.

"Just… just leave me." He turned around and walked a few feet away, before he stood still, wrapping his arms around his torso again.

Astrid didn't move. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to help him if he didn't even want to be helped.

"_I'm worried about him, you know,"_ Astrid remembered Valka saying during one of their conversations. "_He doesn't talk to me when he's home, and I'm afraid to lose him too." _Valka looked lost right then. Astrid had figured it must have been hard for her. She hadn't seen her husband and son for almost twenty years, and when it seemed that they finally could be a family again, it was falling apart.

And suddenly it hit Astrid. Hiccup was pushing his pain away by working as hard as he did. He was trying to forget everything by keeping himself busy, so that he didn't have to be afraid for the pain he must be feeling.

But Astrid knew that this morning, it had become too much for him, and that must have been why he was here, at the cove.

Before she knew what she was doing, she started to hum. But it wasn't just any song. She saw that Hiccup recognized the song, because he didn't move an inch.

"_What's that?" Astrid asked Valka, who was softly humming while she was trying to cook, again._

"_What's what?" the woman asked, looking around, trying to find what Astrid was indicating._

"_What are you humming?" the twenty-years old blonde asked curiously. But her curiosity was replaced by guilt when she saw Valka's sad expression._

"_I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she said apologetically, and went to go away._

"_It's what Stoick and I used to sing to each other," Valka said softly when Astrid had almost reached the door._

_She turned around when the older woman had said that, and saw Valka smiling reminiscently. "I'll swim and sail on savage seas…"_

"With never a fear of drowning," Astrid sang softly while she slowly walked towards Hiccup. "And gladly ride the waves of light…" She saw how Hiccup pulled his arms a little tighter around himself. "If you would marry me…"

She stopped when she was standing in front of Hiccup, and she gently cupped her hand on his cheek, catching the tear that was slowly rolling over it.

"N-No scorching sun," Hiccup half sung half said with a wavering voice. "Nor freezing cold-" A sob interrupted him, and Astrid slowly put her arms around him, embracing him with all her love.

"Go on," she encouraged him softly, not caring that Hiccup was still soaked from his fall in the lake.

"Wi-will stop me on my journey…" Hiccup took a deep breath. "If y-you will promise me your he-heart, and l-love me for etern-nity."

Hiccup couldn't keep it in anymore. He hugged Astrid tightly, soaking up all her comfort, while sobbing loudly. It broke Astrid's heart to see him this devastated, but she was glad that Hiccup was finally letting his emotions show to someone.

"It's alright," she said softly while stroking her hand through his auburn locks, smiling when she felt the two small braids she had made.

"You're going to be okay," she said. "Maybe not now, but I promise you, you will be okay."


End file.
